Morgan County, Illinois
Morgan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of 2000, the population was 36,616. Its county seat is Jacksonville, Illinois . Morgan County is part of the Jacksonville Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.39%) is land and (or 0.61%) is water. Major highways Adjacent counties *Cass County - north *Sangamon County - east *Macoupin County - southeast *Greene County - south *Pike County - west *Scott County - west *Brown County - northwest National protected area * Meredosia National Wildlife Refuge (part) History Morgan County was formed in 1823 out of Greene and Sangamon Counties. It was named in honor of General Daniel Morgan, who defeated the British at the Battle of Cowpens in the Revolutionary War. General Morgan was serving under General Nathanael Greene at Cowpens. File:Morgan County Illinois 1823.png|Morgan County from the time of its creation to 1837 File:Morgan County Illinois 1837.png|Morgan County between 1837 and 1839, when Scott County was splitt off File:Morgan County Illinois 1839.png|Morgan County between 1839 and 1845 File:Morgan County Illinois 1845.png|Morgan County in 1845, when its border with Cass County was moved southward, bringing both to their present borders Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 36,616 people, 14,039 households, and 9,251 families residing in the county. The population density was 64 people per square mile (25/km²). There were 15,291 housing units at an average density of 27 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.34% White, 5.36% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.70% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. 1.35% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 25.3% were of German, 17.3% American, 16.5% English and 10.3% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 14,039 households out of which 30.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.70% were married couples living together, 10.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.10% were non-families. 29.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.92. In the county the population was spread out with 22.80% under the age of 18, 11.10% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 15.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,933, and the median income for a family was $46,040. Males had a median income of $31,218 versus $23,174 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,205. About 6.00% of families and 9.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.60% of those under age 18 and 8.30% of those age 65 or over. Cities and towns *Bethel *Chapin *Concord *Franklin *Jacksonville *Lynnville *Meredosia *Murrayville *Orleans *Prentice *South Jacksonville *Waverly *Woodson Unincorporated communities *Alexander *Arcadia *Arnold *Clements *Literberry *Merritt *Nortonville *Pisgah *Rees *Sinclair Climate and weather }} In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Jacksonville have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in February 1934 and a record high of was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in May. See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Morgan County References Category:Counties of Illinois Category:Established in 1823 Category:Morgan County, Illinois Category:Jacksonville, Illinois micropolitan area